Acquiring another company to get access to new customers, products or technologies can be one of the most critical decisions a business owner can make.
However, M work can be more complex today than ever before, so it's essential to have a specialized team member who can handle the due diligence required of these transactions.Hiring a full-time, in-house CFO with experience in deal-making can be costly, in addition to being rarely needed for a regular company, since these skills are relevant only for a short amount of time.A cost-effective solution is to outsource this work to a CFO who has deal-making capabilities, as you'll end up paying only for the period and tasks needed.
This person requires no training as they are an expert in deal-making, and can set your company up for the most successful deal possible.So if you are trying to acquire smaller companies for growth or raise capital, or you're looking to sell your business, an outsourced CFO can help you at every stage of the deal process.Creating the Transaction PlanBefore an M deal can be finalized, the CFO must carry out extensive due diligence in order to solidify the rationale behind expected outcomes.
They need to consider financial questions about pricing expectations, risk and value add.
And since they should be able to communicate the overall vision for the deal to all stakeholders, one that aligns with your company's bottom line, the CFO will have to conduct research that's both qualitative and quantitative in nature at this early stage.To maximize financial efficiency, the CFO must provide minimum benchmarks that the stakeholders both understand and agree with before entering into a negotiation.
Hence, the next steps before a deal can take place involve setting up financial requirements for earnings per share (EPS) timelines, the internal rate of return (IRR), and basic planning for acquisition financing.Maximizing SynergiesAfter due diligence has been completed, the Outsourced CFO turns into chief negotiator, ensuring that your business achieves the best possible outcome.Since both the buyer and seller want to maximize synergy to ensure they're getting the most a deal can financially offer, it's essential at this stage that both parties maintain open communication about acquisition conditions, growth potential, and other financial targets that will make the merger or acquisition a success.Next, once the negotiations advance and the transaction come to a close, the CFO will need to create a comprehensive integration plan.